Bob Butterworth says his group will be best for community

June 27, 2012|Michael Mayo, Sun Sentinel Columnist

Broward's old sheriff and jack-of-all-political-trades Bob Butterworth is back on the range, and he's looking to bag a controversial contract that would give a new nonprofit corporation he heads – and a for-profit firm he represents – oversight of nearly $45 million in annual state funding in Broward.

Butterworth's group, the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, has the upper hand in a battle to become Broward's privatized "managing entity" for mental health and substance abuse programs.

At stake: scores of contracts currently handled by Florida's Department of Children & Families, and the future care of thousands of Broward's most vulnerable residents, who often end up in hospital crisis units, jail cells and courtrooms.

The awkward battle pits many of Broward's established mental health service providers, who formed a nonprofit outfit called the Partnership for Community Health, against Butterworth, a former DCF secretary.

The losing group has filed an appeal, crying foul over a selection process that didn't penalize Butterworth's group for not submitting required financial documents in its initial bid.

Under a bizarre state law, the Butterworth group was allowed to stay in the running and DCF was allowed to abort a sealed-bid process and give a contract to either group. Even though a selection committee ranked the provider group higher, Butterworth's group prevailed.

"Of course, I was very disappointed with the recommendation," said Steven Ronik, CEO of Henderson Behavioral Health, who was part of the provider group bid. Henderson currently gets $11 million a year in DCF funding.

One provider who didn't want to be named for fear of losing contracts, said, "It feels like a very manipulated process."

Said Butterworth, a former state attorney general: "Part of the problem is people don't like change. A number of providers think they have an entitlement."

DCF spokesman Joe Follick said the Butterworth group was selected because it "provides the best value for the best price...Any insinuations that this particular process had any goal other than enhancing the quality of Substance Abuse and Mental Health treatment in Broward County are misleading." He said more money would go to services and less to administrative costs than under the provider-based group.

Some in the mental health community are leery of the Butterworth group's involvement with a for-profit Miami corporation, Concordia Behavioral Health, which seems short on experience in the mental-health arena but long on political influence. Concordia, which formed 18 months ago, is headed by Miami businessman Carlos Saladrigas.

Butterworth said Concordia has been paying him as a lawyer and lobbyist, and would handle "back-office" work for the new managing entity.

Butterworth noted the provider group also would use an outside for-profit corporation to handle certain functions, and that the BBHC board could fire Concordia if it didn't perform well.

It's unclear how much money Concordia stands to make, and whether it would be siphoned from existing programs. I left a message for Concordia executives, but didn't hear back.

Butterworth said the 20-plus BBHC board is "a who's who" of Broward community leaders, including judges, doctors and politicians, that would look out for the best interests of those with mental illness and substance abusers.

As much as I respect Butterworth and his board, I think the mental health community has a right to be concerned. As we've learned from the privatization of prisons and other government functions, profit sometimes triumphs over people.